Reach for the Stars
by mysticminou
Summary: It bothered Chat that his Lady loved Adrien. He wanted her to love the black cat, not the golden boy. And why was he stalking Marinette? /Set after Volpina. Basically Adrien overthinking the love square and Plagg just isn't helping.
1. Part 1-1

I was planning on going somewhere entirely different with this, but then my hand slipped. Also, I should explain that I'm totally down for S2 to shift the love square and have Mari fall for Chat and Adrien fall for Mari. I'm Marichat trash and I just can't help myself. That being said, I own nothing. Also, I'm still contemplating continuing this because I really want to see my original idea come to fruition, but I'm not entirely sure yet.

* * *

 **Reach for the Stars**

"So she likes Adrien. What's the big deal, kid?" Plagg asked as he munched on his precious cheese.

Adrien scowled at his guardian. "Isn't it obvious? She likes a _poster boy_. Mi'lady…" He folded his arms on his computer desk and burrowed his head in them. "She's a fangirl," he mumbled into the desk.

Plagg downed another slice. "Well, you're a fanboy," the tiny cat belched. "Why not just tell her you're Adrien. She'll swoon right into your arms. Mission accomplished." He turned to the next package of camembert.

"But I wanted her to love Chat," Adrien grumbled. He lifted his head and gazed into the footage playing on the LadyBlog. It was a review of the fight from earlier. He had long since muted it and set it on replay. Ayla had somehow followed the fight to the Eiffel Tower. She had filmed it, but they had been so high up her iPhone had only managed to pick up spots of color. But Adrien _knew._

He knew that Ladybug was willing to sacrifice herself for Adrien.

Why would she do that?

Of course, Plagg was right. He could have just walked out of his bathroom earlier tonight and told Ladybug the truth. But was that really how Adrien wanted to win her love?

"Why are you tormenting yourself, kid? She was willing to _die_ for _you_. If you hadn't of threw your baton, Ladybug would have given up her Miraculous. She would have plummeted to her death without her powers." Plagg floated up to Adrien's eye level, blocking the boy model from watching the scene play out again. "And then she rushed back here to make sure you were safe. Meanwhile, you're such a dumbass you don't even revel yourself to the love of your life."

Adrien glared at the tiny cat. "She was willing to die for _Adrien_."

"You _are_ Adrien!"

"But she doesn't love me! She loves Adrien!"

Plagg facepalmed. "You're such an idiot." He sighed. "Fine. Give her up. She's just another hormonal teenage girl drooling over a teen model. Why don't you just go after your other girlfriend."

Adrein's scowl grew. "Marinette is not my girlfriend."

Plagg grinned. "I didn't even say her name. Maybe I was talking about Chloe. I mean, you did think she was Ladybug." The devious cat flew away from Adrien's slap, causing the boy to grab air.

"I like you much better when you're eating cheese," Adrien grumbled.

"Maybe you should try it. Give up on girls. Believe me, kid, they're nothing but five thousand years of high pitched personified sunshine."

Adrien groaned. "What are you even talking about?"

The cat kwami finished his last cheese wheel. "Nothing. Just forget about it." Another belch. "So, you gonna go see your girlfriend?"

His green eyes went back to the screens once more. The red dot that was Ladybug was about to hand over her earrings. Adrien clicked out of the LadyBlog. His mother's face smiled kindly at him. But all he could see was Ladybug's smile.

He needed to get away from her.

"Plagg…claws out."

XXX

The cool Parisian air whipped around him and further tousled his blonde hair. His leather cat ears swiveled, picking up sounds his human ears could not. Everything was calm tonight and he was glad.

He was further glad Ladybug had messaged him soon after she left his place that there would be no patrol tonight. He needed this one moment. He needed this one moment alone. Then he would help her tomorrow with a grin on his face.

He raced across the rooftops and made it to the bakery in less than five minutes. He hid in the shadows of a chimney across the street. At this hour, it was no surprise that the bakery was dark and locked up for the night. In the above apartment, the only light that shown was from Marinette's room. He smiled. It was so typical of her. She was up late on a school night finishing either homework or a design.

He wasn't stalking her. He just…He just…

He was just making sure no more akumas came after her. Yeah. That was totally his reasoning. She was usually caught somewhere in the middle whenever an akuma appeared. Maybe Hawkmoth was targeting her? But why?

He settled into his usual spot and got comfortable. Well, as comfortable as he could get on a brick roof. Usually he left with a sore butt and neck, but by the time he ran back home the exercise had the kinks worked out.

His night vision was helpful these nights. But, tonight he didn't need it. He could see perfectly into her room thanks to her desk lamp. As she turned away from her desk, he could finally see that she wasn't working on homework or a design. She had been writing in her diary. And judging by the way she stretched her wrist, it had been a lot. The teenaged boy in him was curious. What did she write about? Why did she feel the need to hide her diary in such a clever pink box?

He watched as she closed the box and stretched. She walked over to her chaise and stroked a red stuffed animal before climbing the stairs to the trapdoor. He tensed as she climbed onto her balcony. It was always risky when she was out. He always feared that she would find him and call the police.

 _Help! Chat Noir is stalking me!_

Patrolling. Not stalking. He was doing his duty as a superhero.

But, even if she did catch him, he doubted she would call the police anyway. She would probably frown and tell him to beat it. He always wondered why Marinette was different around Chat than Adrien. She was a bumbling (cute) mess at school, but so witty during a fight. Well…He grinned as he thought about the Puppeteer incident. She'd been caught off caught and it was cute.

Personified sunshine.

Plagg's words from earlier came back to him. And those words exactly summarized Marinette. She may be hidden from him at school, but when the clouds cleared, boy, she was something to be reckoned with. She could motivate a room full of people, she would stick up for the bullied kid, and she was just so perfect. How had he not seen it earlier?

He frowned. Of course, he had been blinded by Ladybug. He thought back the when they first met. Not the gum incident, but instead when he had explained himself outside the school during the rain. When he had first seen her bluebell eyes. Another pair of bluebell eyes flashed before him and he shook his head. No. Ladybug loved Adrien.

He should be ecstatic. He should have fist pumped the air and swaggered out of his bathroom and confessed everything earlier. But something held him back.

He didn't want his Lady to love that side of him. He wanted Ladybug to love _this_ side of him. Not the stalker— _patrolling—_ half of him, but the side that was free of Adrien's restraints. The side that could say and do whatever he wanted. He didn't want Ladybug to be chained down by Adrien's rules and lifestyle. He wanted her to be free with Chat. He didn't want to hold her back or chain her down. He wanted her to be free to spread his wings and fly.

But that was the problem, wasn't it? She had wings. She could soar for the sky. She could reach for the stars. But he couldn't. Either as Adrien or Chat. Adrien had a strict schedule. Adrien had a steady line to walk. Chat was a cat in the night. He could pounce and reach, but he would never be able to reach Ladybug's level. He would always fall and land on his feet. Because cats belonged on the ground and ladybugs belonged in the sky.

Chat felt his heart ripple. His chest heaved and he let out a broken gasp. That was it, wasn't it? Why Ladybug never returned his advances? She knew that Chat would just hold her back. It was no wonder she would risk her life for the golden boy of Agreste. She thought he could take her to stars.

But she was so wrong. So, so wrong. Adrien would keep her tethered to the ground more so than Chat. And his heart _ached_ for her. He loved her more than his own life, so he knew what he had to do.

Chat stood from the shadows and watched Marinette. The tiny girl curled up on the bench and gazed up at the stars above.

He had to let her go.


	2. Part 1-2

Here is part two and the conclusion.

Also, I would like to take a moment to make one tiny request. Please, if you comment/review my work, please don't post your hate for a character. I fully realize I'm a real, actual adult writing fluffy angst for a children's show and most of the fanbase is younger than me, but please understand that the wonderful team at Zag and our own Hawk Daddy have their reasons for Mari/Bug to be the way she is. Believe me, it took me a long time to understand why writers wrote characters certain ways. Why they added certain traits. And again, it's a children's show. Mari/Bug is meant to be relatable. I cringe to think about it, but I was the same way when I was younger about my crush. (Granted, I did not steal his phone or know his schedule.)

That being said, here is the MariChat you're here for.

* * *

 **Part 2**

He turned away from the girl before him with a tail swish and started to pounce away when the whisper of his name reached his leather ears. His heart stopped and his eyes widened. He craned his head back to glance at Marinette. He had expected her to be gazing at him with those bluebell eyes, but instead she was still eyeing the stars above.

Why…?

"I'm so sorry, Chat…"

What…?

He watched as the bluette curled in on herself. When the salty smell of her tears reached his heightened senses, he pounced. He didn't even recall reaching for his baton, extending it, or even the actual vault itself. He was just suddenly there. He curled protectively over her body similarly and yet so different to the way Bug had crouched over Adrien that morning. He rested on his knees but his torso was curved so that he met Marinette at her eye level, his claws dug delicately into the cushion protecting Marinette from the wicker of the chaise. The claws that could ruin the Eifel Tower with a single touch trembled at the thought of scratching such delicate skin as his thumbs flicked towards her eyes to brush away the tears that had slipped.

Chat gazed down at the girl. She stared up at him with those wide dazingly eyes and his heart lurched once more. She looked like the way she had stared at Adrien in the rain all those months ago. Like whatever he said or did had the ability to make or break her. Like she was a precious porcelain princess and not the valiantly amusing adolescent he had seen that night on the Seine.

Thunder rumbled in the night sky.

A shiver passed through him at the eeriness of it all. Chat and Adrien's worlds threatened to collide. And Chat knew the supernova would destroy him from the inside out. And he couldn't let Marinette get caught in the void when the smoke settled.

"Chat…" She whispered his name again and his eyes focus on her and not the ramblings of his thoughts. The tears started once more.

And so, did the rain.

Chat's body did little to protect the girl beneath him from the sudden downpour. The rain roared around them and silenced the thundering of his pulse. "Princess," his questioning tone barely reached her.

And just like that, Marinette snapped. The rain washed away her tears and she glared up at him like he was a parasite. (Or maybe, a Paris-ite, Chat thought to himself.) The tiny girl braced her hands against his chest and pushed. With much more strength than a girl her size should have.

Chat fell unceremoniously onto his butt.

"Ouch!" The leather hero howled as Marinette moved to stand over him.

"You can't be here, you stupid cat!"

Chat tried to ignore the way his insides squirmed when she said that. Failed. Because she was just _so_ much like Ladybug, but just _so_ different. Swiftly, Chat rose to his feet; his wild hair plastered to his head in thick clumps. He tried to say something witty, something suave, something flirty. Anything other than what came out of his mouth.

"What the hell?"

His tongue suddenly felt like cotton. _Way to go, Noir. So smooth._

Marinette arched a blue brow at him, her plastered bangs nearly hiding the reaction. "Really?" She stomped closer to him. "You're acting offended when you invaded my privacy?"

Chat glared at her. "You asked me to!" He shouted.

Marinette pushed his chest again. "No! You just heard wrong, you lazy cat!"

Again, Chat felt that strange stirring; like he was drowning and so close to breaking the surface. "Well, cats don't like water," he stated. Wow. Much smooth. Such suave.

Marinette blinked at him. A second passed and then thirty seconds passed before she finally said, "If that's your attempt to get me to invite you in, it sucks."

"But is it working?" He flashed her a smoldering smirk.

"Yes."

Chat knew three languages fluently. But he could not even recite the French alphabet in that moment.

Marinette opened the trap door and jumped down. Chat waited a second before he followed her. Once inside and not hammered by rain, Chat took a few deep breaths. Only to let them out in a screech. Stammering, he pointed to the posters and magazine cutouts of _him._ Well, not Chat him, but Adrien him.

Marinette-who had been drying off her hair will a towel-glanced at Chat, the posters, and then back at Chat. "It's…not what…that is…" Her face was red. His face was red. He was stammering. She was stammering. And since when did Chat ever get this tongue tied?

 _Cat got your tongue, Chat?_

Marinette began plucking the posters and clippings down. "He's my friend! Besides! I'm taking them down!"

"Why?" Adrien blurted. Because in that moment, he was Adrien. He wasn't the black cat hiding behind a mask. He was the golden boy hiding behind a smile. And someone he knew and cared about was rejecting that forced smile.

The girl paused and blinked at him. "'Cause…well…" She glanced away and then back. "He's my friend," she repeated. "And, um, I did something really stupid and selfish today."

His brows crinkled together under his mask. Had he even seen Marinette today? Besides, what could Marinette ever do that was selfish? "You are like the most unselfish person I know," Adrien blurted.

The girl in question rose her own brow. "Wow. I should feel honored. A superhero is telling me I'm selfless." She turned back to clearing away her posters. "Anyway, I learned something today and it's really opened my eyes."

When she didn't seem like she would fill him in, he sighed. "Don't shut this wet kitty out," he began. "You can't just leave me hanging. You know what they say about cats and curiosity." He waggled his brows beneath his mask, but she wouldn't have seen it anyway since her back was still to him.

The sigh she took she heavy. Chat watched as her shoulders rose and her body seemed to heave. Turning to her right, she dumped the magazine clippings in the trash bin beside her desk. Chat winced. It would have hurt less if she had punched him in the gut. Why did that bother him? An hour ago he was crying because his Lady chose Adrien, now he wanted to cry because Marinette literally threw Adrien away. What the what?

Turning her violet eyes on him, she said, "That I've been so head over heels for a guy that I could never be with that I ignored the most obvious choice." She smiled softly, her eyes twinklingly like starlight. She giggled softly and he totally missed the joke. "The one guy that's been right in front of me."

Chat felt his cheeks warm. Was he the punchline? "I…uh, yeah. That's pretty deep. Life changing. The cat's meow." He groaned at his own pun. Cat's meow? Really? It reminded him of Copycat and how Ladybug said she thought he didn't really love her.

And he did. He loved Ladybug. But she didn't love him. She loved his other half and he was standing in his classmate's bedroom in the middle of the night while she confessed her love for someone else while rejecting his other half. When had his life gotten so complex?

Marinette stepped closer to him, her head tilted to the side in questioning. His arms twitched to reach out to her. He wanted to hold her and tell her he lo-

He jumped away from her. The pained expression on her face was another punch to the gut. "Well, I'd love to stay, Princess, but this cat's gotta-"

Her lips silenced him.

She pulled away as quickly as she had kissed him; her face nearly as red as what he assumed his own face looked like. His cheek was still damp from chap stick and it tickled his sensitive skin.

"Goodnight, Chat."

The boy began to retreat. "Yeah, goodnight, mi'lady-PRINCESS! GOODNIGHT PRINCESS!"

He practically flew out her skylight and back into the rain.

Dear god, when had he fallen for Marinette?

But, if Ladybug had made it clear she would never return his feelings, then why not _try_ to move on with his classmate? She obviously had feelings for him? But not Adrien who Ladybug loved.

His mind spun as he vaulted home.

Bug loved Adrien who was Chat who loved Bug who loved Adrien who was Chat who loved Marinette who didn't like Adrien who liked Marinette who loved Chat.

What. The. Actual. Heck?

The beginnings of a migraine was forming behind his eyes. Squinting through the pain and rain, Chat was certain of one thing.

It wasn't safe for Marinette to love him. If Hawk Moth found out about her, she would be a victim. More so than she already was.

He had to let her go.

* * *

 **End.**


	3. Part 2

So yes. I'm continuing this. I've had this chapter sitting around gathering dust since I posted the first. I've had some people call me out on Mari's behavior in the first chapter and that's kinda why I started this chapter. While I was writing the first chapter, I knew Mari's intentions, but I didn't explain them. Mainly because I was afraid it would grew from a one shot to a multi chapter and those scare me.

* * *

The next morning when Gorilla dropped him off at school, Adrien was not surprised to see Nino holding back a practically rabid Alya. Groaning, he exited the car and slammed the door. He never showed back at school after the fight yesterday and no doubt caused Alya to miss her scoop. The press had been held off at his own home and they had never followed him to school before. Alya, on the other hand, would not let up until he gave her something to go by.

As he approached his friends, Nino shot him an apologetic look. "I tried to warn you, dude."

Adrien waved him off. "My phone died last night," he lied. Really, he had turned the thing off because he knew they would be blowing it up. He had sent damage control texts first, however.

Alya grinned as she waved her phone; her ladybug charm danced around the sleek plastic. "Mine's not. Fully charged. Even have a portable charger with me."

"Oh," Adrien was unsure of what to say. "That's…thoughtful."

She advanced like a panther. He very much felt like rabbit in rabbit season. "I want—"

"Alya," the soft voice of Marinette called from the foot of the entryway staircase. Adrien felt himself blush as she walked up behind him. "Let's get to class first," she reasoned. As he turned to thank her, he noticed how very pointedly she was not looking at him.

The blogger sighed and relented. "Fine. Besides, the road isn't the best background for my exclusive interview with Adrien Agreste." Marinette smiled and the two girls linked arms, but not before Alya pointed to her eyes with two fingers and then pointed them towards Adrien.

The boys were left at the doors as the girls headed away. Adrien mentally noted to thank Marinette later. Nino bumped his fist into Adrien's shoulder gently and the blonde directed his attention to him. "So, I heard that Lila transferred schools."

One of the tensions on his shoulders eased off. "I kinda feel sorry for her," Adrien admitted. "What about the stuff on the Ladyblog?"

Nino shrugged. "Alya deleted it off, but stuff on the internet is forever. It could resurface later. But, Alya flat out refused to delete the stuff about Volpina. A possible third hero? She's digging it."

"But she was a fake?" Adrien reminded his friend.

They were cut short when the warning bell sounded. With a shrug, Nino told him to take it up with Alya later during her exclusive interview. An exclusive interview that Adrien needed to worm his way out of doing.

XXX

When they got to class, he noticed Marinette drawing in her portfolio while Alya rattled off the questions she was surely dying to ask him. Her vulture eyes latched onto him the moment he dropped his bag to the floor. The soft grunt from Plagg caused a smile to quirk his lips.

"Nuh-uh. Don't think you can charm me, mister!" Alya mistook his grin. "I'm getting my interview." She slung an arm around Marinette's shoulders and pulled the girl closer. Marinette's pencil darted across the page and ruined the design she was working on. But, Alya didn't apologize or seem to notice. "And my girl Mari is totes gonna be there."

Green eyes went to the designer. She was? But, last night Marinette had said she was letting Adrien him go? She had kissed him as Chat. They were still friends, right?

Marinette blinked once slowly. "Adrien probably doesn't have time, Alya," she gently reminded her friend. "He probably has a shoot or lessons or—"

"I'll be there," he blurted. The three teens looked at him with as much shock as he felt. He did have a shoot and a Chinese lesson, but would his father say no to free publicity? Mentally, he winced at the thought of that. "Ok, maybe after six?"

Alya whooped and fist bumped the air. "Alright, we'll meet up at Mari's house!"

Adrien could not stop the grin as Marinette's stutter came back. "But I've not roomed my clean. Wet cat smell!" She slapped her hands over her mouth. The model had to turn away from her to keep himself in check before Chat made a comment. He most certainly did not smell like wet cat.

The blogger grinned slyly, "Chill out, girl. I'll be there before hand to help clean. Maybe even help redecorate."

If she was referring to Adrien's pictures, there was no point in it. Adrien himself knew they were gone. It would make sense that Alya, Marinette's best friend, would know about them. But, how long had they been there? How long had this sweet girl in his class harbored feelings for him while he pinned after Ladybug?

Marinette turned back to her design. "Actually…I was redecorating last night. And, I've got plans this afternoon." She rushed the last part. Adrien was immediately intrigued. Despite being friends with this girl for a year, he didn't know much about her. What did she do in her spare time? "I'm meeting someone," she answered the unspoken question before Alya could even voice it.

Was she expecting Chat to show up? Adrien racked his brain. Had he promised to come back tonight? He didn't think he had, but if she wanted him to, he would be there. Never mind it would be totally wrong for Chat to show up since she had feelings for him and he had vowed to leave her for her own safety. But, when had Chat ever thought anything through? He was the spontaneous one. Ladybug was the brains. And Ladybug never explicitly said "no civilian friends." And he was certain that Mari could be trusted.

Alya opened her mouth to dig, but the class was called to order. Taking his seat, Adrien directed his attention to the front. Assuming his role as the perfect student, Adrien opened his textbook.

XXX

Marinette focused more attentively on the lectures before the lunch break. She didn't want to think about Chat, Adrien, or Master Fu. As much as she hated physics, she wanted to think about Newton, his laws, and that worksheet she never finished last night. But every time Mlle Mendeleiev mentioned moving forward, she couldn't help but think of Chat.

Master Fu had been so cryptic in their meeting. She had thought he would help her uncover the clues, but she only left with a million more questions. Tikki had simply encouraged her to keep going back. Though, Marinette secretly thought Tikki enjoyed being with Fu's own kwami, Wayz.

When the bell indicating the lunch break rang, Marinette quickly shoved her books into her bag; vaguely hearing Mlle Mendeleiev telling the class to finish chapter four tonight and hinting on a test for Friday. Shouldering her bag, Marinette had every intention of running for the door as fast as she could. Chloe, on the other hand, had other plans.

The blonde delicately approached her and Marinette noticed the new heels Chloe was sporting. From a design perspective, Marinette knew they must hurt. The front had no lift to them and the heel was entirely too long and skinny. Chloe's feet were no doubt being held at an unnatural angle and the material was certain to blister her skin. "Hello, Marinette," she greeted nasally.

Holding back her grimace, Marinette returned the greeting. She glanced at Alya and attempted to walk around Chloe so the two could exit the room without a scene.

Chloe was having none of that.

"I didn't see you at the student council meeting last night," Chloe declared loudly. Marinette felt her face heat as a few students turned to watch the opening act. "As president, you should have been there! Was there something more important?"

Marinette chewed her lip for a moment. "Something did come up…"

"Like when you totally ditched Sabrina and me during that psychics project?" More than half the class was watching now.

"Chloe, I'll be at the next one," Marinette reasoned. "I had to meet with someone, but next week I'll be there."

"Ooh," Chloe gushed. "You skipped out on the meeting for a date!"

Her heart fluttered as Adrien moved closer. Her face flushed and she tried to stutter out a denial, but all she could think about was how later she did kind of have a date? But, the meeting with Fu wasn't a date at all; but how could she explain that to Chloe?

Well, you see. I'm Ladybug and I was meeting with the guy that chose me to be her. And he was basically telling me my destiny. Oh yeah, and that Chat Noir and I are soul mates.

That would go over so well.

Eyeing Adrien, Marinette thought over how to respond as Chloe and a few others laughed at her stuttering.

Tearing her attention away from the model, she quickly made her decision. Fu told her to focus on her Miraculous. To believe in it and Chat. And if she was going to totally go for the superhero thing one-hundred percent, then she needed to crush her crush, so to speak.

She needed to let Adrien go for good.

"Yes!" She blurted. "I was on a date!"


	4. Part 3

Ok. Never in my life have I ever had to Google the best and worst types of cheese. And I know Mari probably seems OOC and probably has been since chapter 1, but all will be revealed...next chapter. Maybe.

* * *

Part 3

The class stood in silence at Marinette's confession. Alya opened and closed her mouth at least twice before leaning against her desk. Marinette chewed her bottom lip as she glanced at Adrien mournfully. Adrien cocked a brow at her expression, but she turned back to Chloe. "If you're satisfied, Chloe, I'm going." Chloe couldn't bring herself to counter Marinette's claim before the girl ran from the room.

A moment of silence passed before Alya pushed away from the desk and chased after her friend, shouting her name. Adrien wanted to go after her, but Nino grabbed his shoulder. The model glanced at his friend who merely shook his head. "Let it be, man. Mari's never really dated before so I'm sure this isn't how she wanted it to come out."

Chloe's snort directed their attention to the prep. "Oh please. Who in their right mind would date that girl? Probably some freaky Chinese arrangement. Have you met her mother's family? Total nut jobs." Sabrina nodded faithfully at her side.

Adrien shook off Nino's hand to approach Chloe. "Really, Chloe? That wasn't cool."

The blonde batted her lashes at him. "Well, neither is Marinette. You met her uncle."

The boy narrowed his eyes at her. "That's a new low, Chloe." Turning on his heel, he dashed out the door to find Marinette. He had to find her and learn the truth. Marinette had mentioned before that she hated liars, so there was no way she was lying about her date. And he knew there was no way their talk last night was considered a date in her eyes even if they did kiss. But, why would she kiss him if there was someone else?

Was that why she had been so upset? Was there someone else? Like an arranged marriage? Surely not. He had met her parents and her uncle. They valued their Chinese heritage and culture, but they would never force Marinette to do something she didn't want.

He rounded the corner to the locker room and came to a screeching halt. His rubber soles no doubt leaving scuffs on the floor. Marinette sat crumbled on the floor against her locker as Alya comforted her; the darker girl's arm slung around her best friend's shoulder. Marinette's knees were pulled up to her chest; her arms squeezing them closer and her face burrowed atop her slender arms. Alya glanced at Adrien almost desperately.

He felt a tightness in his chest as he approached. He wasn't supposed to know about her crush on him. But, he supposed he could use it to his advantage. Even if she no longer liked him, surely her feelings weren't completely gone. And there was no way he could become Chat and explain why he knew Marinette's trouble or that he went to her college. But, he had to calm her down. Before Hawk Moth targeted her. At least, that's what he told himself.

"Marinette?" He whispered as he knelt before her. The girl shrunk further into herself. Adrien glanced at Alya for help and the blogger shook her head in confusion. Turning his attention fully to her, he gently reached out for her. Alya pulled her arm away when she realized Adrien's intention. His hands tenderly cupped her shoulders as his thumbs rubbed soothing circles. He was suddenly thankfully she had left when she had. If she had heard Chloe's racist words, she would have been akumatized on the spot. Frankly, he was surprised she had lasted this long without running into a little black butterfly. "Marinette," he tried again. "It's very important that you look at me."

The girl shook her head, her tails bobbing against his fingers. Slowly, his hands drew closer to the throat. They turned upwards to curl against his cheeks. He expected her to put up a fight, but she didn't, as he lifted her face up. He released the breath he had been holding when he saw no butterfly marks on her face.

Alya murmured, "I've been watching the whole time. Nothing came close to her. Didn't even see one."

Adrien nodded in understanding as he wiped at her tears with his thumbs. He would still check on her tonight as Chat. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Marinette shook her head in his gentle hands. Her sapphire eyes covered in a layer of fresh tears that she kept at bay. "I…can't…" She mumbled. Her voice warbled and a few warm, thick tears fell across his thumbs. She closed her eyes against the new onslaught.

Alya sighed. "She won't tell me anything either. I've not even heard about any guys. Yeah, she's busy, but I don't get it. Chloe's never made a big deal about Marinette missing a meeting here or there! Heck," the girl threw her hands in the air in desperation. "Chloe never goes to the meetings! It's probably because she wants to be voted queen or something at that stupid dance!"

Abruptly it clicked for Adrien. The meeting last night was supposed to be about the upcoming dance. Of course, Chloe would be nasty to Marinette about missing that one. He shook his head in disgust. She was no doubt using her father's technique of mud smearing to increase her chances for being nominated queen for the event. Despite how nice Marinette was to everyone, if they thought she was already with someone, no one would ask her and if her boyfriend went to another school, he wouldn't be able to be nominated for king. They wouldn't want to put her in an awkward spot by pairing her with a guy she wasn't in a relationship with.

But he knew it was all a lie. Expect…why did Marinette say she had a date? Maybe it was just a coffee type thing? Maybe she was just agreeing with Chloe to end the argument.

"So…" He cleared his throat and Marinette peaked an eye open. "What's this guy like? If he treats you bad, I may have to meet him myself." He chuckled awkwardly.

Marinette opened her other eye and glanced away from Adrien, chewing her bottom lip. "He's…" She swallowed thickly and burrowed her chin deeper in her arm cave causing Adrien to remove his hands from her face. He moved them to hang in his lap uselessly. She shook her head, seeming to decide against something. "He's nice and funny, but I'm not sure if I love him. But I must force myself to. And that scares me."

Adrien and Alya both looked dumbstruck. "What?" They deadpanned together.

He thought of Chloe's words and wondered if she knew something the rest didn't. Was she locked in an arrangement marriage? No. He had to stop it. She clearly didn't want it and he would do everything in his power to keep her from being chained down. He would be damned if he was going to give up on both Ladybug and Marinette for their own good only to have one of them restrained. He knew what it was like to live a life being trapped in a gilded cage and he refused to let Marinette suffer like that. That very reason was why he had to let her go.

"If you don't love him," Adrien began slowly as he worked to keep his voice steady. "Then break it off. We'll support you."

She shook her head again. "I can't break it off. And the worst part…" She closed her eyes in despair as if the next bit of news was too devastating to comprehend. "The worst part," she started again after she opened her damp eyes, "is that I do care enough about that I don't want him to be hurt, you know? He's my best friend and while I don't love him, if I don't go with him, something really bad is gonna happen." She popped her mouth closed and looked guilty as if she had said too much.

"Uhg! This is bogus!" Alya shrieked. "No way are we gonna let this happen! Did your parents set you up or something! Is someone forcing you?"

Marinette shook her head. "No…it's just…" She scrubbed her face with palms. "I can't do this!" She blurted. "I'm going home!" She lurched to her feet, nearly knocking over her friends, as she grabbed her pack and ran off.

"Marinette! Wait-" Adrien grabbed her shoulder similarly to how Nino grabbed his own merely twenty minutes ago. "Agreste! I'm going after her!"

He shook his head. "Let's give her some alone time. If something bad happens, I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will save her." It was hypocritical to stop her after he himself had shrugged off Nino's same advice. But, he told himself that he had insider knowledge that their friends didn't. "She'll probably be back at class after lunch and we'll talk after school."

Alya frowned at the model and pointed a finger in his face threateningly. "If an akuma gets her because you stopped me, I'm totally pushing you in her path."

XXX

Marinette never returned to school that afternoon. She didn't even go home like she had told her friends. As she entered the Chinese building, she closed her eyes to force back her tears. She hated lies and in less than an hour she had told two. Blinking them open, she was not surprised to find Master Fu waiting for her with a cup of his green tea. Tikki slowly left Marinette's purse to perch on her shoulder. Her small paw rested on her Chosen's puffy cheek in a show a comfort. Marinette gave her a wet smile before addressing Fu.

"Master…I don't think I can do this. I've told you all since day one that I'm not the right girl."

He smiled kindly at her. "And that, my dear, is exactly why you are Ladybug." He patted the spot beside him. "Come, my dear. Share some tea with this old man."

XXX

Adrien was swept away by Gorilla as soon as the last bell rang. Ayla texted him to surprisingly call off their interview. A subsequent text jokingly alerted him to not skip town for any Gabriel events because she was getting her scoop. Adrien thumbed his phone and almost wondered if he could just shoot her a text about the Volpina incident and be done. However, he figured she would not be satisfied with that.

As they pulled up to the shoot location outside the Louvre, Adrien felt his business smile crack across his face the instant he exited the car and was whisked away to makeup and the changing tent set up outside. Despite it being only April, the shoot was for the upcoming fall line. They had already done a few shots, but Gabriel was of course not content with them for one reason or the other.

The boy allowed himself to be handled and primped as his father's professionals deemed acceptable. Being late winter, the ten-degree weather worked fine with the heavy wool sweater he wore paired with dark jeans. He particularly liked this line and found it easier to relax for the shots asked of him than when he was modeling the swimwear three months ago. Swim trunks and snow do not mix.

Seeing as they only needed to redo three sets, Adrien easily made it to his tutoring lesson on time. The next ninety minutes dragged by slowly. Somewhere along the way, his Chinese lessons had gone from learning the language to learning the history behind the language. Adrien found it grueling and a complete waste of time. He was already fluent, but Father insisted they continue. His tutor must have run out of lessons seeing as it was the third time they reviewed the accent differences between Singapore and Taiwan.

It was past six o'clock when Adrien was finally released from his studies. He trudged up the stairs after Nathalie reminded him Gabriel would not be home for dinner, but it would be served at promptly seven-thirty. Finally making it to his room, he tossed his school bag to the side as Plagg flew out of his white button down pocket. "So…" The cat drawled.

"So what?" Adrien mumbled as he made his way to the couch and plopped down, his face buried in the throw pillow.

"So, are you going to visit your 'princess' and find out what that was all about?"

Adrien shrugged. "I don't know if I can help her," he admitted. All his confidence from earlier in the day had vanished. How could he help her out of an arranged marriage if he couldn't even arrange his own schedule? "Why do you care?" He turned his head to allow for one eye to peak up at the kwami through a strand of blonde hair.

He shrugged. "When you get mopey, I get cheddar." He poked his tiny tongue out in disgust. "It has a nasty zing to it."

The boy huffed and pushed himself up with his arms. "I'll have to go after dinner. Nathalie wants to go over my schedule for this weekend."

Plagg rolled his eyes. "You don't have to sound like it's a chore, Kid. I'm giving you a pass on cat calling your new lady friend and you would rather spend time with your babysitter?" He zoomed to Adrien's eye level and smirked. "Or maybe you would rather snog on Nathalie than Marinette."

"Ok. First, ew," Adrien swatted at the little god. "Second, it's way too early to visit her. She's probably eating dinner with her family or closing up the bakery."

Plagg dropped to the cushion on Adrien's couch. Curling into a tiny ball, he yawned. "Fine. Just don't come crying to me when your girlfriend gets akumatized."


	5. Part 4

I have achieved the balcony scene I desired when I started this thing. I'm tempted to let it end here especially since I've not really got much of a response since the first part. I also kinda have an idea for a time travel fic that I would like to start on. However, I go on vacay in a week and will be super busy. I'll probably be silent for about 2 weeks or more.

Chapter Text

* * *

 **Part 4**

Chat bounded across the rooftops cautious of the slippery tiles from the rain shower the night before. When he got to Marinette's house, he was unsurprised to see her on her balcony on her pink plastic lounger. Unlike last night, he didn't watch her like a creep, he immediately landed on the metal railing and announced himself. "Princess," his demand for attention was a singsong.

The girl looked up from her chaise and snapped her sketchpad closed. "Chat," she deadpanned. She had obviously just showered. Her hair hung limp and wet around her shoulders. His heighten senses caught a light whiff of spices and coconut. Her face was no longer red like it had been earlier, but her lips were chapped. She tended to bite her lip and he wondered if she had been holding in her sobs to keep her parents from worrying about her.

He wasn't sure how to proceed from here. Chat had expected her to be akumatized, but she was just as normal as she had been at lunch. Not that she was normal, she was way too extraordinary to be deemed as normal. She was like super sweet and talented and-

"What are you doing here, Chat?" She huffed as she stood from her chaise and approached where he was still crouched on her railing.

The black cat shook his head. "I heard you were upset and I came to check on you." The explanation, as true as it was, sounded lame to him. "But, you look fine, so I'll be going. Other damsels to save and all that." He glanced into her eyes and found the starlight that normally shown there to be diminished. Like the star had reached its lifespan and had combusted.

Marinette cocked a brow at him. "How'd you hear about that?"

Herp-a-derp. has stopped working. Please contact system admin-

"Adrien told me?" He suggested to her.

She pursed her chapped lips. "Well, don't worry about it, Chat. Everything's fine. I just…" She sighed heavily and ruffled a hand through her limp bangs. "I'm struggling to wrap my mind around some stuff and I may have freaked out a little." She sighed heavily and turned away from him. She drifted across the balcony back to her lounger.

The cat slunk down from his spot, moving to her side. "You want to talk about it?" She plopped onto her lounger and began to pull into herself like she had done earlier. Chat reached out for her as he rounded the chaise to face her. His hands gently took hers, their fingers intertwining. "Hey," he whispered. "Don't shut me out anymore." His voice was glass and she held the power to shatter it. He squeezed onto the plastic chaise before her, his added weight causing it to groan pitifully. Marinette looked up at him with wide, scared eyes. "If someone's forcing you-"

"It's not like that," she cut him off. Tearing her eyes away from him, her cheeks began to stain pink. "How much did Adrien tell you?" Marinette muttered.

Chat thought about how to best simplify his own thoughts. And it was a struggle. "He told me…" He started slowly. "He told me that you were in an arranged marriage. And that you wanted out." Her eyes darted back to his and he could see the panic swirling within their oceanic depths. "He also said that he wanted to help you. That he didn't want to see you suffer." Chat looked down at their linked hands. His thumbs stroked her knuckles soothingly. The hero drew in a shaky breath. "Adrien cares a lot about you," he admitted softly. "But, he doesn't know what to do."

Marinette squeezed his hands and it temporarily caused Chat's movements to stop. His cat ears drooped as he looked back up at her. "That makes two of us," she responded tenderly. "I don't know what to do either. Because I really like A-," her voice stuck in her throat for a breath or two. "I like Adrien. And I can't accept his help with this. I have to stop liking him. That's why…"

She closed her eyes. Her face scrunched in like she had tasted a sour candy. "I lied to him. I lied to everyone." Marinette admitted. "And I shouldn't have done that, but I have to put some space between Adrien and me. And I panicked. I blurted out a lie and then Chloe started spinning in into this big thing and then Alya texted me what she said this afternoon and-"

"Princess, breathe."

Marinette stopped talking. Pitifully, she looked away. "You can tell Adrien I'm fine." She lapsed into silence then as her bottom lip was sucked into her mouth. Chat could see her white teeth latching onto it and scratching at a piece of skin hanging.

He was miffed that she had lied to him. But right then, his irritation didn't matter. Something was upsetting her and there was no way she could have faked the entire spiel from lunch. Alya was right when she said Marinette could not improve. She struggled to read from scripts. For all her other talents, she just could not act. He had thought it cute when she had tried to step in during Nino's film. She was the silent type of artist. She drew and created. She used her hands and the callouses his fingers bumped as he held her hands gave that away.

Marinette kept things inside. But she always tried so hard to help others. And he loved that about her.

And he wasn't going to give her up. His earlier promises be damned.

He loved this girl.

His fingers slowly left her hands and cupped her tender face. His thumbs softly pulled her lip from her mouth. His princess blinked up at him. "It's gonna be ok, Mari," he breathed. "I promise."

Her lips tasted like coconut and mint. This close he could make out the scents that hovered around her. She was lavender, chocolate, and pumpkin spice. Chat's lips moved furiously against hers as he sought to convey his affection. The tiny girl clung to his shoulders and bumped his nose with hers as she sought comfort. Her tiny gasps and pants fueled him.

 _Marinette gazed down into her cup of tea. "Are you…sure? I mean, there's no other way?"_

 _Fu nodded. "Ladybug and Chat Noir are soul mates. The only way for you to reach full potential is if you stop pushing him away."_

 _Her throat constricted. "And…what if I want someone else?"_

 _"You must let this other person go, Ladybug."_


	6. Part 5

Wow. Two updates this weekend. I've actually started on chapter 6 and have starting outlining the last few chapters. I'm planning on this being about 9 chapters, but it things change I'm open to adjusting my outline. Next chapter will have some references to some of the Season 2 spoilers. I want to say it will be nothing major, but it's basically an entire chapter based on one screen cap with lots of fabulous angst. And Adrienette.

Thank you for all of the supportive comments and I'm sorry I was kinda moody. I think I've mentioned on my tumblr or even here that I'm not comfortable writing multi-chapter fics and I prefer to stay with one-shots. More often than not, those one shots tend to become monsters. Anyway, once this bad boy is finished, I will work on another mutli-chapter that will involve my favorite things ever: Two Chat Noirs thus double the Marichat! I will be taking a note book with my on vacation next week to hopefully write some while I'm away. I'll also try to post chapter 6 before I leave.

* * *

 **Part 5**

The memory of Fu's words had Marinette pushing Chat away with a wild gasp. Chat somehow managed to stay on the furniture as her fingers dug into his shoulder blades. The girl shook her head. "No. We can't do this," she hissed.

His jaw locked and something dark flickered in his toxic eyes. His hands slipped from her face to plop into his lap. His wet, plump lips twitched before he frowned deeply. "A kiss is supposed to save the princess," he finally rebutted.

Marinette folded her legs beneath her and used Chat's shoulders to push herself over him. Now that she was hovering over him, she felt more like Ladybug. She could control the situation. "What is the matter with you?" She snapped. "I just told you I liked Adrien and then you kiss me? What about Ladybug?" Her voice warbled at the mention of her other half. She was forcing herself to give up Adrien because Fu said they needed to be stronger to defeat Hawk Moth and Chat was wooing other girls? She always knew Chat's advances were a farce and it hurt her that she had to relinquish her sweet Adrien for a playboy? And that was why she fought so hard against Fu and Tikki. Chat was never serious about anything. Once the akuma was defeated, he was nothing more than a tomcat. Sure, she trusted him with her life, but her heart was something else entirely.

Chat was her best friend, but she could never love him.

She knew taking on the Ladybug mantle would change her life, but she never thought every choice about her future would be taken from her. And that scared her. She was supposed to marry Adrien and have three children, a hamster, and a dog. She would be a world-renowned designer. Marinette was still a child in every sense of the word. She was barely fifteen and every day she danced with death. She knew there was a very real possibility that she may not come home after the next battle. And now what little freedom she had left was being taken from her. Her dreams. Her hopes. Everything gone because she was supposed to be in love with Chat Noir; her soul mate.

Chat gazed up at her and she trembled. He could be serious and scary if the situation called for it. And now that she had mentioned Ladybug, she wondered if he would sprout more garbage about how great she was. Well, guess what, Chat, this is the real Ladybug. A crying mess. A clumsy baker's daughter. He would be so disappointed.

Her heart squeezed painfully and she closed her eyes against the fresh onslaught of tears that threatened to fall. Why did that upset her? Who cared if Chat was disappointed that she was Ladybug? She didn't want Chat. But, she didn't want to hurt him either.

"I know," he finally said.

Marinette's throat constricted agonizingly as her eyes flew open. He knew? Did he know she was Ladybug? Was that why he kissed her? Did he also know they were soulmates?

She couldn't speak past the dryness of her throat and mouth. But he continued, "I know you like Adrien." He spat the name with hatred and venom. "And Ladybug likes him too. I know I'm no match for him. Adrien's a perfect poster boy, isn't he?" His tone of voice left the question unanswerable even if she could force out words. He chuckled darkly before moving her arms away. He stood from the lounger and Marinette fell back onto her rear. Turning away from her Chat, paced away. "Adrien's not that great, anyway. I don't see why you want him, Princess. He's not good enough for you. He would hold you back. You and Ladybug. You both would be trapped. But you want him."

He whirled on her and she gasped, the air scratching her dry throat. Marinette could clearly see his tears as they reflected her fairy lights. "I loved her so much. But she risked everything for him!" He howled. "She was going to kill herself on that damn Tower just to save him!"

Chat stalked towards her and she flinched when he reached her, but he only cupped her face again. She blinked up at him. He held her so lovingly and every time he touched her surprised her. She never expected him to touch her, Marinette, this way. When he reached for her as Ladybug, he touches were fierce. He was either pulling her from danger or he was desperate to escape his own peril. Even when he touched her shoulder or took her hand, he did it with confidence. His grip was sure.

When he saved her from Max when she had caused him to be akumatized, he held her so close in his arms. He had carried her so far away from the scene. And to this day she still didn't know why she had called out for him. She could have easily escaped down the alley and transformed, but she didn't. And when Tikki asked her about it later, she didn't have an answer then.

Her hands trembled as she placed them over his own. She applied the tiniest of pressures to better feel his leather clad hands against her cheeks. "And you…" He whispered. "He…" He leaned his head down to rest his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes. She felt and heard his warm trembling breath. "You want so much in life, Mari. But Adrien would never be able to love you completely. His father would never want you. You have so many dreams and so much life, Gabriel would want you so far away from Adrien. You're exactly what he needs. And that's why…" Marinette watched as more tears fell from his eyes.

She danced her fingers across his arms to reach his face. This time she wiped away his tears. "But what about you?" She murmured. "What do you need?"

His lethal gazed snapped onto hers. "I don't know anymore," he admitted.


	7. Part 6

Notes:

Have some Adrienette with a dash of Plagg/Adrien friendship with a heavy dollop of angst. There will be Ladynoir next chapter. Also, for those who were asking about it, I have started the time travel Marichat fic. I will post chapter one once I have completed it. I hope to have it finished before I leave this weekend.

* * *

 **Part 6**

Adrien was miserable the next morning. By the time he had finally left Marinette's it was after eleven o'clock. On the nights he patrolled he tended to stay out way later, but the emotional toll of finally admitting to another person that wasn't Plagg why he was torn between the two girls was more of a burden than a reprieve. Plagg had belched out a few questions about why he wasn't ecstatic that Marinette liked him. "Both of your lovebugs want you," he had drawled. But that hadn't been enough to ease his fears. He had tried explaining all of it after The Tower Incident, but Plagg hadn't gotten it then so Adrien doubted he would get it now.

"Humans," was all Plagg had said before Adrien tried to sleep a few hours before his morning workout.

His mind spun with worry. He never really got to the bottom of Marinette's lies. She obviously had her own issues and he had not only dumped his problems on her, but also Adrien's. But, since Marinette didn't know Adrien was both guys, Chat had seemingly revealed things about Adrien that neither of them had any business knowing. He spent no less than thirty minutes wondering if she would treat Adrien different during class.

Class had him thinking of Alya. Would Marinette mention her meeting with Chat? Probably not. Marinette wasn't the type of person to go blabbing about other people's personal stuff. Then again, she had lied to everyone so did he really know her? And Alya was her best friend. Would their trust outrank his trust in her? He groaned as he thought over the next possible post on the Ladyblog and the smack Ladybug would no doubt give him.

Rolling over, he tried to find a comfortable spot. He was burrowed under his comfort and sheets, but he still felt cold. Plagg snored on the pillow beside him and Adrien scowled at the black cat before glancing out his windowed wall.

Staring at the Paris night, he had finally drifted into an uneasy sleep.

That uneasy sleep followed him all through school. When he saw Marinette, he kept hearing her voice from last night asking him what he needed. What Chat Noir needed. He had laid out all the reasons Adrien was bad for her and she had asked about him. He wasn't sure what to think of that. She claimed to like Adrien, but she still cared for the leather cat. He flushed at his own actions. After he had confessed to her his confusion, he decided it was time to take his leave. He had kissed her forehead before wishing her sweet dreams. Once he was a block away from her mesmerizing scent, he could breathe and think a little clearer.

"You in, dude?"

"Huh?" With a shake of his head, Adrien looked over at his friend. Nino had a brow cocked at him and seemed to be expecting something. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

Nino shook his head with a chuckle. "You're so out of it, dude. I said do you want to go this afternoon? The student council is asking for help to set up the spring fling tonight. I'm DJ-ing and Alya is writing a report for the school blog. Marinette's student president so she kinda has to be there. You free?"

The Spring Fling had totally taken him by surprise. He'd seen the flyers posted, but he didn't pay them much attention and since he wasn't in the student council, he never had a reason to be involved. Of course, he also had his responsibilities as Adrien and Chat Noir to distract him. "Sure. I'm free this afternoon. Father was content with the photos from yesterday so we don't have to do anymore right away."

Alya squealed behind them. The two boys turned to her. "That means I get my Adrien Agreste interview!" She whooped and elbowed Marinette. "And Madame President over here can give me an interview for the school blog!"

Marinette blinked up from her sketch pad. "Why me?" She asked in confusion. "I wasn't at the meeting. All I'm doing is basically helping set up."

Nino hummed. "You did a lot, Marinette. Rose wanted a spring dance and you totally helped in scoring it. The whole class is super excited about it." He quirked his brows at Alya. "And it gives me a chance to show off my mad skills in front of my lovely lady."

Alya grinned. "Oh, hush you. We can't talk about that in front of the children." She smirked at Adrien. "Sunshine here is too pure to be sullied by you."

Adrien felt his face heat as Nino snorted. "Oh please. My man is such a closet perv. You weren't there when Ladybug was at his house. Home boy basically shoved me out of the way to-"

"Okay! Thanks, Nino!" Adrien shrieked as he glanced at Marinette. The poor designer was pale and refused to meet his glance. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, yeah, so where is the dance?"

The blogger grunted as she nodded towards Chloe. "Give you one guess, Agreste."

"Right. Of course," he nodded. "And the date?" He assumed it was soon since preparations were tonight. He mentally ran through his schedule for the rest of the week.

"This girl."

"Alya!" Marinette shrieked, much the chagrin of their teacher. After a swift apology, Marinette glared at her friend. "Adrien meant date of the dance not _that_!" The reporter shrugged. Timidly, Marinette made eye contact with him. "It's, um, Friday night. At seven. If you're free." She blanched. "I mean free to go. Not that I'm implying you have to go with me. That's silly. I'll be a bore. Student council and all. Not that it's boring or you wouldn't find it interesting. I-" She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "It'll be fun. You should come."

Nino snickered and Adrien side-eyed him. "I'll check with Nathalie. I don't think I have anything major." He dropped his voice. Adrien still should be under the impression that she had a boyfriend. "So, um, is your boyfriend not coming?"

Nino's snickers abruptly stopped and Alya watched Marinette like a hawk. The girl pursed her lips and tapped her fingers against her desk, her sapphire eyes downcast. "No," she answered slowly. "But, I think I might have over-reacted. We talked a little last night-"

"Wait," Adrien interrupted. "You talked to him? _Last night?_ "

Alya and Nino glanced at each other and Nino shook his head at his girlfriend in warning. Alya pursed her lips, but kept silent as Marinette nodded. "Yeah. He stopped by really late. We didn't talk much about the…thing, but I learned some stuff about him. And, well…" Her cheeks went pink and she looked away from Adrien's hard stare.

Adrien turned back in his seat. She couldn't….Surely someone else…Her words from yesterday came back to him. She had to be with this guy. He was her best friend, but she didn't love him. Adrien's insides burned and squirmed. Could she have been talking about Chat Noir? But surely he would know if he was involved in some arranged relationship, right? Was Hawk Moth forcing her to pursue Chat Noir? Had he seen their interactions? But why now? Why not target Adrien since Ladybug had shown interest in him? Why target Marinette?

He needed to talk to Ladybug. If Marinette was being used, he needed to protect her. He refused to let Hawk Moth hurt her.

Adrien allowed the self-hatred to burn through him as he laid his head upon his desk. He had been so stupid. If he had just treated her indifferent, Hawk Moth wouldn't be targeting her. _Please_ , he wanted to beg, _target me. I'm Chat Noir. I'm the one you want._

"Adrien?" Marinette softly called. He couldn't look up at her.

"I, um…" Lifting his head, he waved for his teacher. "I'm not feeling well. May I be excused?"

XXX

Adrien had never ditched school. But he went straight for the boy's locker room. He locked the door behind him to keep everyone else out before coaxing Plagg out of his bag. The kwami floated lazily before him. "What now?" He whined.

"Hawk Moth is targeting her, Plagg!" His hands dug into his hair and it very quickly began to look like his Chat hair. "I have to let Ladybug know. We have to stop him before her hurts her! She clearly doesn't want or deserve this!"

Plagg blinked slowly at his Chosen. "I believe she said she was supposedly best friends with this guy. She's friendly, but I wouldn't say you're her BFF. You're not even at Boo status. Maybe Bae."

Adrien dropped his hands to his sides and gave him a blank stare.

"Come on, Boo, don't give me that look."

"Can you not be serious for one minute?" Adrien asked, exasperated, his arms flapping into the air and back to his sides. "Marinette could be in danger."

The kwami rolled his eyes. "I doubt it. She handled herself well with the artist. Honestly, I think you're overreacting. She's probably just got a crush on both sides of you and is freaking out."

The model backed against a locker row with a soft thud and slid down to the floor, a heavy sigh rattling his shoulders. "But, she said she had to be with this guy. With me. I don't even think she likes me. She can barely talk to me. I'm obviously not forcing her, so who is?" He scrubbed his face tiredly. "Marinette could have met with someone after I left, but what are the odds?" He voiced his earlier thoughts. "Father was impressed with her designs, but I'm sure he wouldn't force her to…to do something like that."

Plagg drifted to his Chosen's knee and perched upon Adrien's stretched out leg. "Relax, Kid. I really don't think it's anything serious. This girl has some serious anxiety attacks sometimes. She's probably just dramatizing or having an attack. She seemed fine today." Adrien still didn't seem convinced. "Your Princess is going to be OK. No one is going to hurt her," Plagg murmured. "Try talking to her as Adrien. See if she tells you more later at the meeting."

Adrien met his eyes and offered a small smile. "Thanks, Buddy." He scratched the cat's ear. He yelped when Plagg abruptly twisted his head and nipped his finger.

XXX

Le Grand Paris was a second home to Adrien. Nathalie had often taken him on playdates to visit Chloe when he was a child. Granted, it had more to do with their family's social standing and a few shady business deals than any real bonding experience on the children's parts. Regardless, much of the staff was friendly and familiar to Adrien and finding information about the dance was a snap. Many of the student council members had left school early to begin preparations and he found them in main ballroom. The walls were papered in a velvetlike paper that was a deep red crimson with burgundy spirals meant to look like flowers. The stark grey stone tiles contrasted strangely and Adrien wondered who had paired the two colors together.

Several boxes were piled by the doors he had just entered through and a quick glance showed them to be party and decoration supplies. Several council members were gathered around them and muttering about colors and themes. He recognized a few faces as being in his grade, but none from his class. He also didn't see Marinette.

He approached the closest boy. He was blonde and maybe a year under Adrien with a red sweater and light jeans. He thought his name might have been Gaige. The boy glanced up from the box he was riffling through and burrowed his brows together, dropping the package of silver foil stars in his hands. "Can I help you?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah. I'm looking for Marinette. Is she here yet?"

One of the girls snorted and Adrien glanced at her. She too was blonde and wore her long wavy hair in a ponytail. It paired nicely with her sky blue dress. "Of course not. Marinette could never be on time if her life depended on it. She'll probably show up late after we've done all the work." Adrien frowned as she snooped around in her box. "And of course she skimped and bought all cheap stuff."

He opened his mouth to retort when a familiar voice called out from behind him. "Of course she did." The group turned to see Alya standing in the doorway; her arms crossed and her weight popping out her hip to the side. "The budget has to last all year. Marinette thought it would be best to not splurge on this dance, but save some for the end of term dance. Plus, there's other activities to prepare for on top of the requests she promised a few of the students. If you had read her budget report last semester, Noel, you would have seen how she had planned to use the money." She cocked a slender brow at the others. "Any more questions?" Alya didn't wait more than a second before continuing. "Now hang those paper stars. We all agreed to this theme, now get on it."

Noel's face was notably red as she grabbed a packet of stars and puttered to the opposite corner. Alya rolled her eyes before shooting Adrien a grin. "Yo, Agreste. Marinette and Nino are running over the playlist with Principal Damocles. They should be here in a few minutes." She approached the boxes and swiped out a few black packages. "I hope those muscles aren't just for looks, Sunshine." She tossed him the packages and he fumbled for them awkwardly. They were plastic table covers. "I need the long rectangle tables moved to the left wall." The blogger smirked. "I'm sure M wouldn't mind to see you all sweaty with your muscles bulging."

Adrien gaped at her like a fish; his pocket shook from Plagg's silent chortles.

XXX

With the help of three other boys, Adrien moved the tables from the center of the ballroom to the farthest wall. He was smoothing out a table cover when someone clapped him on the shoulder. His friend chuckled at the way he jumped. "Hey, dude. I see Alya has you under her thumb."

Adrien laughed. "She can be quite persuasive."

Nino's smirk grew to a grin. "Yeah, Marinette's been watching you flex for the past five minutes."

"What!?" He yelped; his voice embarrassingly loud and high as he sought her out. Sure enough, the girl stood beside Alya in the center of the room. Alya cackled raucously as Marinette attempted to hide her face behind the clipboard she clutched in her slender hands.

Snorting, Nino slapped Adrien's back again. "I can't believe you let her slip away." He nodded towards the council president. "That's probably why she was so upset yesterday. Alya told me what was said. Chloe's nonsense aside, she's probably trying to force herself to get over you and all this added attention to it is probably the last thing she wants."

"What?" Adrien sputtered again. His head whipped between Nino and the girls. "Get over me? What?"

Nino ruffled his hair. "Dude, you're so dense." Adrien scowled as he attempted to fix his hair. It would be bad if someone recognized him with messy hair. "She's had the biggest crush on you for the past year. And you've admitted she's cute." He shrugged. "Alya's grumpy that she's lost our bet, to be honest."

"Bet? Crush?" His pocket vibrated again and Adrien wished the floor would open and swallow him or an akuma would distract them or his Father would demand he show up to a photoshoot or-

"Hey, Nino!" The two guys glanced at the girls. Alya waved majestically as all the students turned to her. "Marinette wants to test the sound system!"

"Right on!" Nino shot his girlfriend a thumbs-up before scrambling off to his setup in the corner away from the food tables Adrien had just prepared. Adrien watched as Alya snatched the clipboard away from Marinette, who attempted to protest, and then pranced after her beau. The blonde smiled as he watched Marinette shake her head and mutter. Shyly, she met his gaze and waved.

Adrien lifted his hand to return it, but she turned and made for the doors. Afraid she would leave and he wouldn't get his chance to talk to her as Adrien, he ran after her. "Marinette!" He called a few meters away from her. The girl stiffened before facing him, a sweet smile plastered across her face.

He slowed to a jog and then stopped completely two feet away from her. "Marinette," he started. "I wanted to ask-"

The thrashing bass, electric rifts, and violent screams of Jagged's newest song blasted deafeningly in the circular room. The velvet walls did little to soften the metal cries of the music or the heavy thumping of the expensive speaker system the ballroom sported. Marinette yelped and covered her ears with a wince as Adrien mimicked her movements. The duo frantically looked at their friends in the corner. Alya thrashed her head at odd to the heavy metal as Nino steadily bobbed his head to the beat, his fingers dancing across this laptop keyboard. Marinette flew across the tiled room to them; her arms flailing as she desperately tried to stop them.

Adrien made to follow her, but Nino cut the music. The silence of the room left Adrien's ears ringing. He saw the three talking before the couple waved her off with a shooing motion. Marinette turned on her heel and marched back across the room to Adrien's side as the next song started up. It was a classical piece Adrien immediately identified. It was called _In the Rain_ and it had been one of the first songs his mother had taught him on the piano. Though he had stopped playing after she had died, he could feel his fingers twitch at his sides to the phantom keys he knew so well. His foot tensed as if he was about to pump and his mind starting counting beats as the music swelled.

Props and decorations were immediately dropped as several council members paired off using any excuse to be near their crushes or dates. Marinette smiled wistfully. "I knew I shouldn't have let Nino play around with the others here." Adrien snapped out of his trained mindset and watched as Nino nodded to something Alya said beside him. His fingers flew across his keyboard as his partner seemed to read over the notes on Marinette's clipboard. Marinette groaned. "Now we'll never get finished! We've still got to-"

Adrien grasped her hand and pulled her along behind him as he moved further out to the improvised dance floor. Marinette stuttered as he paused and pulled her closer to him. His other hand placed her empty one upon his shoulder before resting upon her waist. He turned them in a small circle and, unbelievably, Marinette matched his steps despite her nervous expression. Her bluebell eyes were trained on his as she began to pull her lip into her mouth.

"Don't do that," he whispered.

She parted her lips and nodded up at him like an obedient child. He smiled sweetly down at her as they swayed. The familiar notes swelled and he could almost hear his mother humming. His steps slowed and Marinette nearly did trip this time, but his firm hold on her kept her upright. Would his mother be proud of him? Would she understand his motives behind protecting Marinette? Because he honestly didn't understand them himself. Father had always called her hopelessly romantic and ceaselessly emotional. Adrien knew he took more after his mother than father. Was that why he was chasing two girls?

He stopped and Marinette blinked up at him. "Adrien?" She murmured timidly.

No, he decided, not two girls. He was done with Ladybug. He had finally seen her for who she was that afternoon on the Tower. And despite all his declarations of loving the girl under the mask, he realized he couldn't completely love her. She was willing to die for a stranger. While it would normally be noble, he had seen the way she had treated Lila beforehand. Ladybug had been harsh and rude with the girl because she carried an obsessive crush on his civilian side. He hated to admit it, but Ladybug was shallow.

How had it taken him so long? She had never been interested in him while this sweet girl in his arms was too nervous to even hold a sentence with him. She had proven last night that she saw beneath his golden boy charm.

And whatever the reason or cause may be, he could never have her and he could not give her up. But he swore, no matter the cost, he would protect her.

Because he loved Marinette.

Adrien released her and stepped away as Nino faded the music out. "I'm sorry, Marinette." He turned and bolted from the room, leaving a confused girl in his wake.


	8. Part 7

Notes:

Who's ready for some Ladynoir angst?

* * *

 **Part 7**

Marinette finished with the dance preparations about an hour later. She kept replaying her time with Adrien to pinpoint what had made him mad at her. She sniffed her blazer as she walked home but found only the constant smells of sweets that were embedded in her very soul from living above a bakery instead of body odor or some other nasty smell that might have chased him off. She knew she had the beginning of a few zits from her tear fests, but unless her concealer was flaking they should have been covered. As she entered her home, she still had no idea what she had done.

Pushing it on the backburner, Marinette greeted her parents as they closed the bakery for the night. As she slipped into the familiar role of helping her family, she glanced at the ornate clock hanging on the back wall of the shop. It was a little after six so it was too early to call on Chat. She needed to clear some of the air between them after her actions Monday and then she still needed to think of some way to broach the topic of their…relationship.

As much as she wanted to fight it, Marinette supposed it was her destiny and she needed to own up to it. She had thrown her temper tantrum like a toddler and after last night with Chat-

She almost dropped the bowl she had been cleaning.

Her tiny mother swooped in and snatched the bowl before Marinette could damage it. "Are you okay, dear?"

Marinette mumbled out an excuse about a headache before tossing her towel into the sink and sprinting to her room. Once there, she collapsed on the floor and Tikki appeared before her voicing the same question her mother had minutes ago.

"Adrien's mad at me because I told him about last night," Marinette wheezed out passed her dry lips. "He must find me so fickle to cry one day about a boy and then be over it the next. Not that I'm over it," she hastily added at Tikki's confused look. "I mean, I'm still upset that I'm being forced to be with Chat and I can't just stop my feelings for Adrien, but to Adrien it must have looked like-"

"Marinette," the kwami interjected. "I don't think he's mad at you. From what I've seen, Adrien is a sweet boy. I think he's just concerned."

"He danced with me," Marinette whined. "And then he ran away! I don't want to chase him away! I don't want him to hate me!" She pulled on her pigtails. "I want to be selfish just this once, but if I do…" The tiny girl visibly deflated with a heavy sigh. "If I'm selfish, Adrien will get hurt and Paris will never be safe."

Tikki floated closer and hugged Marinette's cheek with her stubby paws. "Oh, Marinette…"

"Tikki," she mumbled. "Spots on…"

 **XXX**

Chat joined her atop the Tower minutes after she arrived. As usual during their joint patrols, she reached into the bag from her family's bakery and handed him a chocolate croissant. Chat practically purred in delight as he plopped down next to her and took the sugary treat. She grinned as he slowly ate the delicacy. When Chat was eating, he was quiet. And sometimes, most of the time, that was a good thing. Especially today. Her nerves were frazzled after dancing with Adrien. And she wasn't quite sure how to act around Chat considering her revelations about him.

Thoughtfully, he swallowed his bite and licked his lips. "My Lady," he began. With a sigh, she hummed for him to continue. "Tom and Sabine's daughter, Marinette…"

She tensed. "Um, what about…her?" He tossed the last bite of his snack into his mouth. Chat's silence was eating away at her as he leisurely ate. "Chat!" She finally snapped.

He swallowed. "She…I think she hates me? Like, both Chat Noir and regular me? And I don't know why. Does she know who I am?"

Ladybug snorted. "I doubt it."

He wiped at his mouth with the back of his gloved wrist. "Whatever the reason, there's something wrong. She's…" His hand dropped to his lap and fisted. "I think Hawk Moth is targeting her."

Ladybug blanched. "What? Chat, I really doubt that-"

"Monday night I found her crying," he interrupted. "I was patrolling and I ended up at her house. She was talking to herself and she kept apologizing and using my name," His face heated and he avoided her gaze. "I ended up on her balcony and we…kissed," he peeked at her from the corner of his mask. "And I kissed her last night, too."

Ladybug looked hard at her lap. Drawing in a deep breath, she let it out through her nose slowly. "Why are you telling me this?" She whispered lowly.

"Adrien Agreste."

Her head snapped towards him so quickly her neck popped. "Adrien?" Her eyes were wide.

Chat nodded. "I'm upset about what happened Monday on the Tower," he admitted. "I know you like Adrien and it was really stupid of you to do what you did." Neither hero could meet the other's gaze as they watched the city below them. "I wish you had listened to me," she barely heard his murmur. "I wish you had trusted me. But you didn't and we can't change what happened."

Guilt flooded her. It was stupid of her. It was part of the reason he had found her crying that night. She had caused an akuma and nearly got herself killed. She should have never acted that way. Especially considering the entire cosmos wanted her to be with the guy beside her. No matter how much she fought the pull. "Adrien-"

"Let me finish, Ladybug."

Ladybug.

He called her Ladybug.

Tears welled in her eyes. She had truly hurt him. Her lip quivered and she bit down on it. She would not cry in front of him. Ladybug didn't cry.

"I know how you feel about Adrien because…" He finally looked at her and she saw the serenity in his chemical eyes. "I like Marinette. I don't know when it happened or why, but I love her and she's in danger."

Ladybug closed her eyes against the warmth dripping from her eyes. She could not hold the boiling tears back any longer.

He'd fallen for her twice.

He'd fallen for her on both sides of the mask and she could not stop thinking about another guy. She kept overthinking their time together when they were Chat and Marinette. She kept pushing him away as Ladybug. She had to be literally the worst person ever.

But something else he had said finally plucked at her mind. She roughly scrubbed away her tears with her palms. He said nothing as she collected herself. "You said," she hiccupped. "Does she know your civilian side?" Did she know this sweet, kind boy?

He nodded. "Yeah, but I swear I've not told her anything."

Ladybug inched closer to him and peered into those eyes. She forced herself to make a connection. To see the boy who set before her. The boy who visited her. "I know what I did was…wrong," she started sluggishly. "I don't expect you to forgive me or understand. But Adrien and I…" She licked her lips. Would she be revealing herself if she admitted she knew Adrien? If Chat knew Marinette, if wouldn't be hard to guess he also knew Adrien. This was a big risk. Could she take it?

"I don't want to know," he looked away from her and lithely pushed himself to his feet. He stepped a few paces away. "He's a model, so I'm sure you have a massive crush on him. And if that's what I was competing against…" He shook his head, his shaggy hair brushing his shoulders. "Just please," he whirled around to face her again. "Just please, help me save Marinette."

Her throat tightened at his begging. "I can't save her, Chat. She's not in danger."

"Yes she is!" He insisted. "Hawk Moth is using her as bait to lure me. And I'm certain he'll use Adrien against you."

"No one is baiting Marinette," Ladybug snapped. "Maybe she's just going through a really hard time! And Adrien is perfectly safe! I'm not gonna let that happen to him again!" She flipped onto her feet. "I asked you here to talk about something important, but I can see now's not the time."

"You don't know Adrien!" Chat screamed at her. He honestly screamed to the point his voice cut out from the roughness of the air pushing out. "You don't know a thing about him! But I know Marinette! I know she's not been herself lately. I actually talk to her! You…you…" He cut off on a growl. He turned, his hand reaching for his baton.

"I know Adrien better than you think!" She hollered back. "I know he's impossibly lonely and kind. He's super smart. I've been in love with him for months! You have no right to tell me I don't know him!" She paced after him and gripped his firm shoulders and roughly twisted him to face her. "And yes, I would give up my Miraculous to keep him safe. I'm aware that it's stupid and brash, but I've been watching him. I won't let Hawk Moth use him against me again! But you," she jabbed a finger in his chest. "I should have never trusted you to watch protect Marinette! She's just some stupid, silly girl! And she will never love you!"

POP.

Ladybug stumbled backwards, her hand flying to her stinging cheek. The horror in her eyes reflected in Chat's. Chat's hand still hung in the air from his slap and his terrified eyes traveled to it; his mouth hanging open. Ladybug let out a barely contained sob as she continued to stagger backwards drunkenly. Chat watched silently and numbly as she vaulted away with her yo-yo.

 **XXX**

Chat had hit her.

Marinette was borrowed under her blankets with Tikki resting by her side. The kwami offered her menial warmth and comforting friendship she was certain she didn't deserve. She did, however, deserve Chat's wrath, but she never expected him to physically hit her. Was that the proof of his feelings for her—for Marinette? Was their partnership over? Their friendship?

The girl let out a choked sob as more tears freely poured across her cheeks.

"Marinette," Tikki began pitifully.

Marinette shook her head against her drenched pillows. "No, Tikki. I deserve this."

"No, Marinette, you don't," the little ladybug tried again.

"Tikki," Marinette muttered dishearteningly. "I hurt Chat. I was wrong."

She heard scratching from the trapdoor above her and knew it was a certain stray begging to come in. Marinette kept quiet and prayed he would leave under the impression she was asleep. He scratched again with a whisper of "Princess?"

Marinette sniffled. Would he still call her that if he knew who she really was? That she was Ladybug? "Go away, Chat," she pled.

His scratching paused. "Princess-"

"Just leave, Chat Noir!" Marinette yelled through her tears.


	9. Part 8

**Part 8**

Chat's clawing ceased; his mouth hanging open. _No, please, no._ He'd lost his Lady; he could not lose her too. "Marinette!" He yowled, his claws scraping fiercely against the finished wood separating them. The girl was silent below him, but he could faintly pick up her sniffles and shuffling with his enhanced hearing. His razors made marks against her door, but he could not stop himself from his destructive habit. He would claw the damn door off if he had too. His hands fisted and he began to pound on the door; his cry for Cataclysm loosely hanging on his tongue and threatening to slip at any second.

Rationally, he should have known his crazed actions would further scare her away, but he could not string two rational thoughts together for more than a mere second before Ladybug's betrayed face assaulted him. He'd drove her away. He had chosen Marinette. He'd declared his love for the girl before his first love. He didn't stop loving Ladybug. His heart still wept for her even as he begged for another girl.

Adrien had always wanted what he could never have. He wanted his mother and she had left. He wanted Gabriel and Ladybug and they both pushed him away. And now that Marinette belonged to another, he wanted her. He wanted to brush away her tears and hold her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to prove that Ladybug's words were wrong. That Marinette did love him.

Shudders coursed through his lean frame as he bowed over his quivering hands; his beating paused for the moment. "Mari," he whispered. Her name fell from his lips like a prayer opposed to the curse that he barely managed to hold back. "Mari, _please_ …"

He was broken.

Marinette never opened the door for him that night.

 **XXX**

Gorilla dropped him off from school before pulling away from the curve. Plagg squirmed in Adrien's pocket reminding him of their agreement from this morning. After Adrien had somehow managed to shower and dress despite his lack of sleep and enthusiasm, Plagg had demanded the two talk privately once they got away from Adrien's babysitters. The boy trudged to the boys' restroom and locked the door after checking that they were alone. Once secured, the kwami darted out. "Kid, it's time to get to the bottom of this," Plagg began without prompt. "You've not slept at all this week and you're wearing me out with these runs to your love bugs."

Adrien leaned back against the door, his right leg crossing over his left as he folded his arms. "There's nowhere to go," Adrien muttered. "They both hate me and I'm scared. Mari could become akumatized. And Ladybug could. If we can even get akumatized, I mean. And I can't fight either of them. And if Ladybug fights Marinette, I don't…" He lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as his eyes scrunched shut. "I don't know what to do," he admitted.

"Exactly," Plagg agreed. "We need to go see the Master."

The boy peaked open an eye. "The who?"

Sighing, the black cat crossed his nubby arms. "He's the one who gave you two the Miraculous. He probably can help fix this mess between you two."

Adrien's shoulders slumped. "You mean, this whole time, there was someone who could have helped us? Someone that knows who we both are? Why are you telling me this _now_?" His voice rose too loud at the end and Plagg shushed him.

"It wasn't the right time," Plagg grumbled. "Some Ladybugs and Black Cats never meet the Master. It's been about a century or so since I've seen him. Tikki sees him more often. With how young you two are, I'd be surprised if Tikki hadn't already directed Ladybug to go there." Plagg narrowed his large eyes at his Chosen. "He doesn't usually choose kids. I don't know what he was thinking. You two should have never…" He trailed off with a flick of his tail. "Anyway, let's ditch and go see him."

Logically, Adrien should say no. He should shove the creature in his bag and go straight to homeroom. He should fist bump Nino, nod to Alya, and try to coax some response from Marinette. But, as his father complained time and again, Adrien was too much like his mother. He pushed away from the door with a flourish and unlocked the door. Plagg jumped into his shirt pocket as the boy strode out of the restroom; his mind set.

"Where's the Master?" Adrien mumbled softly, his lips barely moving to prevent anyone from noticing his seemingly odd behavior.

"16th ARR," Plagg drawled. "About a block before La Muette. It'll look like a small siheyuan."

Adrien nodded in understand as he heard his name called. He turned and saw Nino and Alya barreling towards him. He barely held back his grimace. He needed to get there now. Not that he didn't love his friends, but the two girls he cared about were in danger and he needed help.

"Dude, you skipping too?" Nino assumed, his fist raised for their signature greeting as he stopped before him. Adrien quickly returned the greeting.

"Uh, yeah. I forgot about something very important and I need to go now." Alya raised a brow skeptically at his excuse. "Nathalie just texted me. There's a big, secret photoshoot that Père has been working on. Apparently the line just came in."

Alya snorted. "That is the worst excuse ever, Agreste. But whatever," she pulled out her mobile and thumbed it a few times before showing him a series of texts. "M is seriously scaring me right now. If you're heading there, please…Please make sure my girl is ok. I don't know what that jerk did to her, but if I ever see him I swear on my Ladyblog, I'll end him."

Adrien's eyes widened as he scanned the messages.

 ** _Alya- How was meeting with your new beau? ;)_**

 ** _Mari- I can't do it. We got in a huge fight last night and he hit me. I deserved it, but I just never expected him to do that._**

 ** _Alya- Who is this guy?! Whatever you did was not worth him laying a hand on you. Give me a name and we'll take care of it._**

 ** _Mari- No, Alya. It's not that simple._**

 ** _Alya- Of course it is!_**

 ** _Alya- Adrien seemed intense today when you mentioned him. And then he danced with you tonight. I bet if you talked to him he could help_**

 ** _Mari- I can't bring Adrien into it. That was part of our fight._**

 ** _Mari- I don't want Adrien to get hurt._**

 ** _Alya- What do you mean?_**

 ** _Alya- Mari?_**

"What do you know Agreste?"

Adrien could not meet Alya's hard gaze. The shiver that traveled down his spine nearly toppled him over. This guy had hit his Princess? That had to be why she were so upset last night. And what was more, he had hit Marinette because of her feelings for him? Because they had danced last night? The events Marinette described plucked at his brain for another reason as the foremost anger rolled through him. Whoever had hit Marinette would-

Oh.

Oh, Dieu. He, as Chat Noir, had hit Ladybug while she defended her feelings for Adrien Agreste yet belittled his feelings for Marinette. They had been fighting about Adrien and Marinette as Chat Noir and Ladybug.

Marinette was Ladybug.

Adrien turned on his Converse heels and ran madly through the halls, completely ignoring his friends' shouts.

 **XXX**

Panting, Adrien looked up at the siheyuan through his slightly sweaty bangs. He had just emerged from the alleyway across the street. He had transformed into Chat to make the quit trip to the Master's home and then detransformed across the way. "Is this the place?" He panted to Plagg.

"Yeah. It's not changed at all. Well, according to Tikki anyway. I last saw him in China." For all the months Adrien had known Plagg it was the first time he appeared to be genuinely excited about something that wasn't cheese. It surprised Adrien before he thought how Plagg had lived for so long and barely got to see the few others who understood his plight. Surely it got boring just being around his Chosen. Adrien felt a pang of despair. He had always assumed Plagg disliked him, but this was confirmation. While Plagg would forever be a huge part of his life, Adrien would only be a small blip on Plagg's radar. He'd surely had other better Chosen.

Plagg tilted his head and snorted. "Well. Look at that." He pointed a nub. Adrien turned his attention back to the building to see Marinette Dupain-Cheng exit. He licked his dry lips. "Either you're on the money about Marinette being your lovebug or she needs a new chiropractor."

The two watched as the girl turned left and made her way down the sidewalk. Adrien waited for the girl to be out of sight before running across the street. Plagg shouted at him as he barely dodged a honking car. "Are you crazy?"

Adrien burst in the building. The heavy wooden door slamming against the entrance. There was another door at the end of the hallway. A closed sign was turned to depict the business would open tomorrow morning. Plagg rested on his shoulder. "They're straight ahead. Master Fu and Wayz."

Adrien nodded once and headed towards the door. He rested a hand on the knob and thought his hand would shake. All his questions would finally be answered and there were absolutely no nerves rushing through him as he pushed forward. Sitting in the middle of the room at a small table sipping tea was an old man.

"You…" Adrien trailed off as he pointed towards him. "You're the man from the school."

He was an older Asian man with white hair. He wore the same Hawaiian shirt he had the day Adrien had helped him. The day he had gotten the Miraculous ring and met Ladybug. He sipped from the small green cup before smiling at Adrien. "Hello, Chat Noir. I was wondering when Plagg would send you along. You must excuse him. He's gotten lethargic in his old age. Tikki's also tried to teach him manners, but he's quite contrary." Plagg hissed at him from Adrien's shoulder. The Master's smile grew. "Just scratch him behind the ears and he'll do whatever you want," he whispered conspiringly.

Plagg shot from his shoulder with another hiss and before he could begin his rant, Fu's hand shot out to finger the special spot behind Plagg's right ear. The cat fell into a purring lump on the table right next to an open book. Adrien ignored the sweetness of the moment to move closer. He examined the familiar book that was opened to a page with a hand drawn image of an ancient Ladybug. He dropped to his knees. "My father's book…"

Plagg and Fu ceased their bonding to look at the boy. "Yes, Tikki mentioned it had been in your possession. Tell me, Adrien, was there anything else? A broach perhaps?"

Adrien pulled the book closer to him. Gently, he flipped to the next page where he knew his predecessor's image would be. "Yeah," he replied. "A little peacock tail broach. My mother used to wear it when I was a kid." He looked up. "How did you get this? Why did Tikki have it?" If Tikki had given Fu that information, then did that mean Marinette had taken his book?

"All will be answered in time, young one." Fu flipped a few pages to a peacock themed superhero Adrien had missed earlier. Fu tapped on the drawing of Adrien mother's broach. "Was this there?"

Plagg groaned. "Seriously? You trusted this family with two Miraculous?"

A green blob zoomed from the corner of the room. Landing beside Plagg, the green creature nodded. Adrien cocked his head at the green turtle that resembled Plagg in appearance and size. Another kwami, he realized. "This is where the problem lies," the kwami began. "After she died, Duusu should have come back to us. But she didn't." The turtle glared softly at Fu. "Honestly, I think when Master saw Adrien he may have given him the Cat Miraculous because of his soft spot for Mme. Agreste." The kwami and master smiled faintly. "How rude of me," the turtle said. He turned to Adrien with a smile. "I'm Wayz."

Adrien nodded in greeting before barreling on. "Are you saying…Mère was…she had a Miraculous?"

Fu and Wayz nodded. "Yes," Fu answered. "Mme. Agreste held the Peacock Miraculous once upon a time. And while it may have swayed my decision slightly, you were always destined to wield the Black Cat." He flipped back to the Ladybug page. "Just like Marinette was destined to be Ladybug."

Adrien met his eyes. "So, it's true then? She's…" Fu nodded. "I need to be with her," Adrien started. "We can discuss all of this at another time, but my Lady needs me. What's going on? She said she was being forced to be with someone…" He swallowed thickly. "I need to know…"

Fu nodded once more as he sipped his tea. "Marinette never wanted to be Ladybug. She suffers from severe anxiety. She's always worried about not being good enough, but she takes her responsibilities seriously. However, as charming as it has been to watch you two dance around the other, a serious storm is coming." He closed the book. "If the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous do not combine their strengths, more than Paris will be at stake. While I may have played my trump card too soon, I needed Marinette to put aside her feelings for your civilian side." The short man stared up at Adrien. "It must be tough. You have so many adoring fans. And yet, none of them know you. None of them know your dreams and hopes. They see what they want and you must put on a show. You can't crack under the pressure. One sign of weakness and it's all over."

Adrien's brows knitted in confusion. "What does that have to do with Marinette's feelings for me?" Yeah, it was tough living a double life and he was hurt that Ladybug had seemingly chose the model over the cat, but once he had started noticing Marinette's feelings for the cat, Adrien felt at ease. This girl was struggling, but she had still found the courage to offer him comfort. And now knowing that the two were one and the same, it made so much sense. Of course Ladybug would choose Adrien. They went to school together. Ladybug had admitted to loving Adrien. Thus, Marinette loved him. But she…Ladybug had said Marinette would never love him. The girl he loved, only loved one side of him. They were both repulsed by his Chat side. But why, then, did she kiss him?

"I was referring to how Ladybug feels when you worship her," Fu said. "Marinette so many times feels worthless and both her partner and the boy she cares for hold her other side, the side she hates, on a pedestal. Much like how she holds Adrien Agreste up. I knew once Marinette's love for Adrien Agreste cracked, she would see you for who you were. In turn, you saw that Ladybug was human."

"Of course she's-"

"Her less redeemable qualities aside," Fu interrupted with a shake of his head. "The pressure she was under, surely you understand? Ladybug has this thin line to walk. Much like Adrien Agreste."

Adrien glanced at Plagg who was paying more attention to grooming his tail than the conversation at hand. His gaze fell to his lap. "I fell for the illusion," he stated. "I was mad at Ladybug for loving the side of me I don't like and yet…" His eyes closed in pain. "I did the same thing to her…"

"You two are fated for each other. Each Ladybug and Black Cat is," Fu continued reassuringly. "Whether they be friends, family, or lovers. A few have turned against the other and Marinette feared after last night, it would happen to you two." Adrien flinched at the implications. "I know you acted impulsively and would never normally do that. While you do hold your mother's personality, never forget that a part of you is also Gabriel."

"What does that mean?" He grumbled. He swore he would never turn into his father. If he and Marinette had children, he would adore them. He would never neglect them.

Wayz shook his head. "All will be revealed in time. For now, you need to go to Ladybug. You are the only one who can help her now. Tikki is holding off the akumas that would threaten her, but there is only so much she can do."

He finally looked back up, his gaze shifting between Fu and the kwamis. "But she said she could never love me."

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Oh come on," he whined as he finally joined back into the conversation. "She was angry. That girl is head over heels for you."

"You mean…she…?"

Fu smiled kindly at the young man. "Marinette loves you."


	10. Final Part 1

Notes:

My chest is legit hurting from the feels.

Thank you to everyone that has supported me in this and I hope the ending is to your liking. I'll be moving on to my next project which is my time travel Marichat fic "Unexpected." Chapter one is already posted here and on AO3.

* * *

 **Final**

Chat ran across the rooftops. His hair fluffed out in the wind and his bangs occasionally slapped against his forehead and mask. It was near lunch time and he hoped Marinette was home and had not yet gone back to the school. As he landed on the familiar rooftop across the street from her home, he sighed in relief. He peered into her windows and found her to be in her room. Finally, his luck was turning around. Marinette sat at her desk and he could just make out the red blob that must be Tikki sitting next to a plate of cookies. Her hair was down from her signature pigtails and she wore a white tee shirt with pink jeans. He admired the girl for a few moments as his heart thumped painfully in his chest.

Fu had reassured him that Marinette didn't know who he was behind the mask. While Adrien knew of his feelings for her and that she did return them, he wasn't certain how to proceed. _Hey, My Lady. It's me, Adrien!_ Yeah, no dice. He was ashamed of his actions the night before and he knew she didn't want to see him. But they had to clear the air between them. They had to get the reveal out of the way and then they could deal with everything else later.

He extended his baton and launched across the street to her window. He clung there with the claws of his right hand as he knocked on the window with his left. Chat saw the girl tense before she peeked over her shoulder as the red blur vanished behind her computer monitor. Those wide blue eyes pierced him. She was frightened.

Marinette feared him.

He frowned and pointed towards the latch while mouthing a request to enter. The girl blinked once, twice before standing. Marinette gradually crossed the room and flicked open the lock. She carefully opened the window to not knock Chat off his perch. He climbed inside. "Hey," he breathed once he righted himself.

"Hey," she squeaked.

The corner of his lips twitched and he fought back a smile. His eyes scanned her face to check for damage from his slap the night before. He was relieved to find it perfectly pristine. Tenderly, he cupped her chin. Lowering his face to the cheek he had slapped, his whispered. "I'm so sorry, My Lady." His breath danced across her skin and she shivered. "Please forgive me…" He pressed his lips against her cheek affectionately before he nuzzled her like his namesake. "I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I swear, Mari. Just please…" His hands dropped to her waist and he pulled her flush against him.

He sighed when he felt Marinette wrap her slender arms around him. Her heard her swallow thickly. "How…?"

Adrien was surprised at how well she was taking it. He had been in denial when he had even tentatively thought about her being Ladybug. Surely it made much more sense for her to be a target than his Lady? His arms wound more securely around her. "I had some help," he admitted. "I went to see Master Fu." She stiffened. "Don't worry, Princess. He didn't betray you," he quickly quelled her fears. "I had my suspensions and then I saw you leave his place this morning."

Marinette gently pulled away from him. "I'm so sorry, Chat. I was wrong to say what I did." She flushed a lovely shade of pink. "Obviously, I was lying about not loving you…I just…" She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "It's been hard. I knew when I agreed to be Ladybug that I was giving up a part of my life. I just never expected to give up my future. I felt caged in." Marinette opened her eyes and gazed up at him. His hand returned to her cheek and he stroked his thumb across the tender flesh. With a nuzzle, she leaned closer to hand. "I stole a book from my friend and when I took it to Fu he told me…" Tears bubbled in the corner of her eyes and a whimpered sob tore from her throat. "He told me Adrien would be in danger if I didn't stop pursuing him. I love Adrien so much and I couldn't stand the thought of him being in danger because of me."

The pain that warbled in her voice broke him. All this time, she had been hurting because she feared for his safety. She was fighting tooth and nail to keep the one thing she wanted. Just like he fought so hard for his freedom. "Oh, Mari…"

She shook her head. "And when he told me you were my soulmate, it made me mad. I didn't think you really loved me. I saw you flirt with both sides of me and I assumed you were a flirt to every girl. I was mad that I had to give up my sweet, kind Adrien for you." Her flush darkened. "And then…" She nuzzled his hand again. His hand shifted to allow for his fingers to play with her loose hair. "I realized that you did really care about me. That I had been acting selfishly. And that's why I exploded last night. I was angry at myself."

"Mari, it's okay," he whispered. "I promise I will spend every day of the rest of my life proving that I really, honestly love you. I really did fall for you that day with Stoneheart. Just please," His hands tangled further in her hair. "Please forgive me."

Her brows crunched together. "Kitty, I don't understand-"

"I hit you. I never should have done that. And I swear I will never, ever hurt you again."

Her lips twitched into a small. "I was a total brat. I deserved some sense knocked into me. I heard you. Last night, I mean." Her smile slipped away. "I should have let you in, but I was scared." At his flinch, she clutched his shoulders. "No. Never of you. I was scared that I would make an even bigger mess out things."

With a chuckle, he bumped his forehead against hers. "We're such a mess, My Lady." Marinette's tinkling laugh reach his ears and in that moment, he knew that every struggle that had gone through had been worth it. "Can I kiss you?" He breathed.

Her starlight eyes searched his. "Under one condition."

"Just name it," he declared. "Whatever it is, I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes until you understand that I'm in love with you."

She brushed her nose against his. With a sigh, she whispered, "Take off the mask."

His lips brushed against hers as he murmured, "As you wish, my Princess."


	11. Final Part 2

From my Tumblr: "The issue I'm running into right now after posting that last chapter of Reach, is that the readers are wanting more? Like literally the entire point of the fic was Chat falling for Marinette. He literally got the girl. It was Mari and Chat struggling with their feelings for each other. It was Chat trying so hard to give her up for her safety, but he simply could not stay away from her. It was Adrien falling for this he knew he shouldn't. It was watching Adrien see Marinette struggle and wanting nothing more than to solve all of her problems. It was Chadrien wanting to keep his Princess safe.

He went through so much and he finally got the girl. That was the main plot.

I know I included subplots like the dance, hinting at Adrien's temper, Mari's risk of being akumatized, and an even greater battle approaching. But this fic was to breach the gap between season 1 and 2. I'm mostly afraid that if I continue, Reach will become a monster of a fic if I have to include those plots.

Basically, everything was just for Mari and Chat to be together. That's why I didn't include a complete reveal. It was about Mari and Chat struggling to be together.

I'm blessed to have such great readers and if I could, I would continue Reach. But I really want to work on other projects."

* * *

 **Final Part 2**

"Claws off," Chat breathed against her lips. As the green magic swirled around him, Marinette snapped her eyes shut and kissed him. Her arms tightened around him further. His cool leather melted into soft cotton behind her fingertips. The sharp smell of his cologne intensified and she gasped around his lips as she drank deeply from the intoxicating smell of him. He used her moment of distraction to kiss her harder and deeper. His lips dragging against hers with a few nips of his teeth and drags from his tongue. Marinette melted further into his arms with a soft moan. Her curves pressed hotly against the firm muscles of his body.

He pulled away slowly and Marinette followed him and his magical mouth an inch or two. They both panted and Marinette kept her eyes firmly shut, slight wrinkles creasing her eyelids with the pressure. His fingers returned to stroking her cheek as if he was still searching for small mark from his attack the night before. "Mari," his voice was strained and it plucked at her heart. She loved this boy so, so much. He never deserved to sound that way. "Mari, look at me. Please," the beg in his voice was palpable and her fingers trembled where they clung to his tee shirt. Slowly, Marinette opened her eyes.

Her mouth dropped open on a gasp. "Adrien?"

She was so confused. Fu had told her to stay away from Adrien? That if she didn't Adrien would get hurt.

Adrien tilted her head back ever so gently so their eyes were better locked. "Do you still love me?" The strain had melted away into fear. "You told Chat you loved Adrien, but Fu…" He bit into his pretty lip. "I know Fu told you some things that may have changed how you feel. And I know you were trying so hard to get over…" He struggled with continuing and she understood.

For so long she had considered Chat and Adrien two separate people. She even considered Marinette and Ladybug two separate people and she was both. Chat had always said they were same regardless of a mask or name, but she found herself wondering if that was still true. "I loved Adrien for a long time," Marinette started. "Ever since you gave me that umbrella." She felt her cheeks heat once more. "And I would have fallen for Chat sooner if Adrien hadn't…" She shook her head. "This sounds so bad. I'm sorry."

His hold tightened. "I understand. My kwami has been teasing me non-stop about both of you since day one. And I think, if I had met Marinette you first…"

She glanced away for a moment before looking back into his eyes. "I still don't understand. Master Fu had me so scared. I couldn't let you get hurt. Why didn't he just tell me reveal myself?"

"It's because we fell for the wrong side of the mask." At her confused look, he chuckled. "I fell for the side of you that you didn't like. I had thought after Stoneheart, I had eased your nerves, but I was wrong. If I had known you still felt that way, I would have said something. Then, after Volpina I thought you only liked Adrien because he was a model. But then I visited you as Chat so today when I realized you were Ladybug, it made sense. You could see me beneath my masks. The reason Ladybug was willing to give up her Miraculous was because she was you."

Her chin twitched down and Adrien loosened his hold so that she could look down. She appreciated his effort to ensure her comfort. Truthfully, she didn't deserve him after everything she had done. "It's not that I don't like being Ladybug…There's just so much…"

"Pressure." She peaked back up at Adrien. "I'm sorry I pressured you so much to reveal yourself. I should have never done that to you. Me of all people should understand what it's like to uphold an image."

His words broke her. "I don't want you to ever feel like you have to be that way around me, Adrien."

He folded into her smaller form and forced her chin to rest on his shoulder with his ear near her ear. He held her silently before he whispered, "You either. I never want you to feel insecure. You mean so much to me. I don't want any more secrets between us, My Lady."

Marinette choked. "I don't deserve you. I never have."

He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "Don't say that. Please, don't ever say that."

She shook her head and pulled away. "It's true though." Marinette turned away and paced away a few feet. "Every time you came to me as Chat, I should have pushed you out the door. It wasn't fair for you to tell me your feelings. Especially…" She cupped her mouth as the tears began to prick at her eyes once more. She felt rather than saw Tikki rush out from her hiding place and land on her head. The small goddess patted her head and Marinette basked in the small comfort. "I used your feelings for me against you. I made this big deal out of nothing and I've hurt and lied to so many people. And you're still here trying to make me feel better." She wanted to look at his face. She wanted to see his reaction. And yet, she could not bring herself to do it. She could not peak back at him. Marinette knew she deserved the ire that was no doubt burning in his gorgeous eyes. She was a coward. "You should go…" Her fingers brushed her lips that still tingled from his kiss. "We'll pretend that none of this happened, okay? We'll go back to the way things were."

"I can't do that."

He wrapped his arms around her and she felt Tikki shift away from her head. Tikki whispered something to who she assumed was Adrien's kwami and then silence. "Yeah, we've got some damage control to do. Especially with Alya because if she ever finds out about last night…" She felt him shiver against her. "We'll think of something because now that I know you're Ladybug, I can't keep myself from being around you. We can use last night as the catalyst for your breakup with the 'other guy.' I'll say and do whatever you want me to if you let me stay with you. Just, please, don't shut me out again."

Marinette leaned back against his chest. "Why? Why would you do this for me?" The fingers of her opposite hand traced the Miraculous on his hand resting against her hip. "I've brought you nothing but trouble."

He spread his fingers and hers slipped between them. "That's how relationships work. You mess up, but you get through it. You work things out. We've always worked things out on the battlefield so I know we can get through this. Whatever is coming at us, whatever reason Fu had to force us together, we'll get through it."

"Together?" She whispered. All of this was much more than she could have hoped for. Adrien was willing to help her fix her mistakes? He was willing to be with her? And he was the partner she had started falling for?

Another kiss to her head. "Together."


End file.
